Everyone thought about that for a moment.
“I still say Sen should’ve called their bluff,” said Dickie at last. “Tell them good day, terribly sorry, no tours without an appointment.”
“We must assume they have enough power to make us comply,” said Josef.
“How? Drop bombs on the surface? Bad luck on Castaverde and his team, but we’ve got four kilometers of water and ice for protection. And supposing the Sholen did go all out and blow us up—what does it get them? The Big Six stop pretending those black-budget interstellar military vehicles don’t exist, and it’s war.”
“Oh, surely not,” said Pierre. “The Sholen are a very peaceful species.”
“So peaceful they have blown their own civilization to bits every few centuries,” said Fouchard. “They are peaceful because the alternative is extinction.”
“I think they’re all bluff,” said Graves. “Look at the way they talk to each other—posturing and puffing out smells. This is the same thing writ large. Dominance displays—it’s how they think. If Sen had any balls, he’d stand up to them. They’d leave us alone quick enough.”
“They can cause trouble for us back on Earth, though,” said Pierre. “A lot of people still think of the Sholen as the wise space brothers. If they say we should leave Ilmatar, you’ll have demonstrations in Brussels and Washington demanding our return.”
“And are other ways to use force against us,” added Josef. “A vehicle that size could carry troops. Sholen could occupy base, or evacuate us by force.”
“Force only works if you’re willing to pull the trigger,” said Dickie. “They won’t go that far. All we have to do is refuse. If they want to start a fight, then poof, it’s war. And if they’re the ones who start it, then even the lunatic fringe back on Earth will turn against them.”
“All right, Dickie. You’ve said it a dozen different ways, but the fact is you’re not Dr. Sen, and neither are any of us. He’s not going to try to face them down. So why are we here?” asked Pierre.
“I think we ought to be making some contingency plans. Get ready in case the Sholen do make a move,” said Graves.
“Doesn’t that depend on what they can do to us?” asked Rob. “I mean, if they’ve got guns and bombs and stuff all we can really do is get ready to die.”
“Not necessarily. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. You can only kill an enemy you can find. We could wage asymmetrical warfare.”
Five
Rob woke Alicia just before 2400. “I’ve got breakfast,” he said. “You want some tofu chili?”
“I do, but it disgusts me to say it. On Earth I would never eat chili at all. It is nothing but a ragout with too much pepper.”
“You want plain tofu instead?”
“I am almost hungry enough to say yes, but because we are in love I will eat your chili.”
Their long swim the previous day meant they were still ravenous, so they polished off the pot of chili, generously laced with synthetic oil and hydroponic tomatoes. They were still sitting together as the others began to drift into the common room.
When just about the entire complement of Hitode Station were having breakfast, Tizhos and Gishora came in. Gishora gave a kind of loud bark to get everyone’s attention.
“I wish to speak to all of you,” he said. “I consider the subject of great importance.”
Dr. Sen popped up from the table where he was breakfasting with Simeon Fouchard. “If it actually is of great importance then I think it would be a rather good idea to wait and announce it after all of us have finished eating our breakfasts and can give you our full attention.”
“I do not wish to wait any longer. Allow me to speak.”
Sen sat down and made a go-ahead gesture. “I certainly can’t stop you.”
Gishora stood on his two hind legs, raising his head to the ceiling. “My colleague and I have reached a conclusion. It appears to us that Henri Kerlerec died as a result of accident and carelessness. We do not believe anyone at this station intended to violate the contact agreements.”
Rob realized he was all tensed up, and gave a sigh as he relaxed. He wasn’t the only one, either.
“However,” Gishora continued, “we cannot avoid the conclusion that other errors and unauthorized contact attempts may occur in the future, as long as Hitode Station remains an active facility.”
Alicia’s face was white. “No,” she whispered.
“I discussed the matter with my colleagues here and in orbit, and we have reached consensus. We cannot allow you to remain. The risk of further contamination appears too great. We request that everyone here prepare to evacuate the station. Our spaceship can transport all of you to Earth, with fifty kilograms of mass per person for baggage. You may leave other items on the surface for future transport. We plan to return the dismantled station to your space agencies.”
Dr. Sen broke the silence before the crowd could erupt in protests. “This is—this is a most unexpected and, I must say, a most unfortunate proposal for you to make. I’m afraid it’s quite out of the question. I suggest you take the matter up with the UNICA council back on Earth. I’m certain they will consider the whole matter with great seriousness.”
“We have made a large number of similar requests in the past,” said Gishora. “I cannot believe this will produce a different result. As I said, we have reached consensus: you should leave at once, and then we can discuss a new set of acceptable protocols to prevent any more incidents like the death of Henri Kerlerec.”
Sen was on his feet again, standing in front of Gishora. To Rob he looked like a child arguing with a bear. “Before we give you an answer I would like the opportunity to discuss it privately with the rest of the station crew.”
“I do not understand what you need to discuss,” said Gishora. “Tell me if you understood my words.”
“Well, we—” began Sen, but Fouchard cut him off.
“Tell him no, Vikram! He has no right!”
Sen gave Simeon Fouchard a nod. “Dr. Fouchard is essentially correct. You don’t have any sort of authority to order us to leave.”
“The situation seems too important for any delay,” said Gishora. “To protect the inhabitants of Ilmatar you must leave now.”
“And what if we don’t want to go?” yelled Dickie Graves.
Gishora turned to face him. “Then we must remove you.”
For a moment the room was silent. Then half a dozen people started yelling at once. Sen said something quietly into Gishora’s ear and ushered the two of them out of the room. The shouting continued. Dr. Sen let the noise go on for a couple of minutes, then used a tray as a gavel to bang for quiet.
“I understand that you are all angered by this unreasonable request they have made of us. But we will not accomplish anything of substance by standing here and making a great deal of noise!”
“We’re not leaving!” said Graves, and Fouchard followed up by banging an open palm on the tabletop and shouting “Never!”
But Una Karlssen stood up with a completely horrified look on her face. “You’re all mad!” she said. “I don’t agree with the Sholen either, but this kind of macho posturing isn’t going to solve anything. Even if we don’t like it we have to do what they ask, and let the diplomats work it out later.”
“And what if they’re right?” said Antonio Diaz. “Maybe we should leave before something else happens.”
That prompted another round of shouting, and Dr. Sen had to use his tray gavel again. “Please!” he said. “Everyone deserves a completely fair hearing. But I do not wish to turn this into a philosophical discussion about the ethics of interstellar travel or the wisdom of the contact rules. We need to concentrate our attention on how we are going to respond to this ultimatum.”